Year End Review
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Dear Friends,
I hope this letter finds you well. I wanted to take a moment to not only wish you a Merry Christmas, but also look back at the momentous year of 2022 and what God might have in store for First Christian in 2023.
The year began with a shock as we learned that Cornerstone Baptist Church, our longtime tenant unexpectedly and abruptly ended its ministry. This put our congregation in a difficult position as we lost a significant source of income. It also forced our hand. For months we had talked about selling the property on Wildwood Road and moving, but things were moving rather slowly. We didn’t have much in the bank and as Treasurer Beth Hamilton noted recently, we only had a few more months of funds before we would be broke and forced to end our ministry.
After much discussion and praying, we were able to find a realtor, Roman Dzuiba who was able to put the property on the market. Much to everyone’s surprise, the building sold quickly! Initially, we thought we would have some time before the new owners would need us to vacate the premises, but circumstances push the date to leave the premises to July 31- which meant we have 60 days to try to move a congregation. It didn’t seem possible that such a small congregation could actually move 25 years of stuff from three buildings, but through a miracle, we were able to do it.
However, we also needed to find a place to worship. The rental market was proving a challenge, but we were able to find a place to worship at Roseville Lutheran Church in Roseville, MN. We are so thankful for their hospitality. The fall has been spent recovering from the hectic summer, but we are slowly gaining our bearings, getting used to our new community. In November and December, we started collecting cold weather clothing for Central Park Elementary School and hope to develop a relationship with the school.
Over the fall, we have also met with representatives of the Christian Church Foundation and Disciples Church Extension to figure out how to best disperse the proceeds from the building sale and also set up our investments to help fund future missions and ministry. We’ve had a few people become part of the regular life of the congregation. It’s hardly a stampede, but it is a welcome sight. We’re also seeing an uptick in people who watch our Sunday Livestream and become part of the life of the church virtually. Our YouTube channel began as a place for our recorded sermons during the COVID pandemic and it has now morphed into a regular part of the worship experience.
“As a congregation, we have entered a new chapter. I really hope we all can resonate with what is going on around us and see God working in the midst of all of this. ”
That was 2022. What is on tap for 2023? The short answer is pretty simple: I don’t know.
What I do know is that I’m trying to communicate better with members, sending text messages to see how you are all doing. I am reminded of a sermon Rob Hamilton preached in early 2022 where he asked us to take part in an exercise where we wrote down where was God present in our lives during the day. I think that is something we need to keep in mind in the coming year. One of the ways we do that is by seeking those moments of resonance or connection with others. It’s in those moments when we can get outside of ourselves that we can be open to having an encounter with God. I hope that you can join me in this journey of reconnecting with people both within the congregation and without, especially with those who connect with us virtually. As a congregation, we have entered a new chapter. I really hope we all can resonate with what is going on around us and see God working in the midst of all of this. I hope that we connect with our new community of Roseville and be in mission with them. I think the key to the renewal of the congregation comes from seeing where God is active in the world and in the lives that make up our little church.
In conclusion, as we prepare to enter into 2023 I want to leave you with this phrase: God isn’t done with us. I’ve said that over the last few years in one form or another. It means that even though we are small in number, God hasn’t given up on our church. However, it was only in the last few days that I realized it was another way of saying that God is with us. There is a word for God being with us that is fitting for the season: Immanuel. That is the message God leaves to all of us: no matter what happens as a congregation and also in our own individual lives, we remember that God is with us, we aren’t alone.
So, I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. May we continue to remember long after the Christmas tree is put away that God is with us, the Immanuel!
In Christ,
Dennis L. Sanders, Pastor